Dan Chaon, Among the Missing ***

Among the Missing is a short story collection from an author whose novels I have enjoyed. The stories were written earlier than the novels, and I think it shows: while they share many of the strengths (and themes) of the novels, they seem constrained by the conventions of the literary short story. I also think that Chaon's character development skills are better suited to the longer form -- unless that's just my preference for novels over stories showing.